1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to insertable writing surfaces for notebooks, more specifically, to writing surfaces that can be inserted into ringed and/or spiral notebooks and that are rotatable so that the writing surface can be used while viewing either page of an open notebook.
2. The Prior Art
The art of notebook inserts discloses a number of different ways of providing a person with a surface hard enough for writing on that can be inserted into a notebook. Three such notebook inserts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,213 entitled DEMOUNTABLE WRITING TABLE FOR A NOTEBOOK issued to Meservy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,869 entitled HYPERTEXT BOOK ATTACHMENT issued to Schwartz, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,239 entitled ROTATABLE BINDER INSERT issued to Bianco. Meservy '213 discloses a platform that is inserted into the rings of a notebook and that provides a writing surface. A riser is held by the notebook rings in an upright position, essentially tangent to the notebook rings. The writing surface is rotatably attached at one edge to the riser The platform simply provides a hard surface for writing on paper that resides in the ringed notebook. When used as shown in the '213 disclosure, with fingers 24 and 25 engaged in the rings, the platform will not lay flat within the notebook without first removing it from the rings and replacing it without the fingers engaging the rings.
Schwartz '869 discloses a book attachment that mounts in the binding of a book via a long rigid rod. The book attachment provides sheets and a hard surface that either extend beyond the book pages or that reside within the book pages. When the attachment is used in the extended manner, it requires much more tabletop area than the book alone.
Bianco '239 discloses a rotatable notebook insert that includes a C-shaped frame that snaps into the rings of a notebook and a surface that rotates within the arms of the frame. The axis of rotation is defined by a pair of opposed pins extending from the upper and lower edges of the rotating surface that fit into mating holes in the frame arms. The design of the pins allows the surface to rotate 360.degree. about the axis. The surface is held planar with the frame by a depression in a side edge of the surface that mates with a protrusion from the edge of the frame cross piece. Depressions on opposite edges of the surface hold the surface in either of two position 180.degree. of rotation from each other. The main drawback of this design is that the pins form the only built-in support for the rotating surface. A relatively small amount of pressure on the rotating surface without firm support behind it can cause the pins to snap off, destroying the device.
Thus, there continues to be a need for device that can be inserted into a ringed or spiral notebook that provides a sturdy surface for writing and that can be rotated so that the same side can be used regardless of which side of the notebook is being viewed.